


On The Edge

by Rangergirl3



Series: Lost Paladins [10]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-29 02:04:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8471347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangergirl3/pseuds/Rangergirl3
Summary: An old enemy returns just as the Paladins of Voltron make a new alliance.





	1. Prologue (Dinner Meeting)

Over the next few days, Rayzor and Coran spoke regularly over the comms. Allura sometimes joined in on the conversations, but she was also taking stock of the Castle's condition, so she was never able to stay for very long.

Once Keith declared himself completely restored to health - and after Coran had agreed with his declaration of health - the Paladins trained together on the training deck, the invisible maze, and the mental exercises. Shiro was proud of the the way the Red Paladin threw himself back into the normal way of things, but he kept an eye open for any signs of his friend pushing himself too far.

"I'm  _fine_ , Shiro," Keith told him one day as they were walking towards the dining hall after training. "Really, I am."

Shiro glanced over, one eyebrow partly raised. "See…I'd say I believe you…" he said, his voice just a tiny bit skeptical. "But sometimes in the past, you've underestimated the damage you've gone through."

Keith pointed to Shiro's chest, a smile coming into his eyes. "Pot." Then he pointed to himself, still grinning. "Kettle."

Shiro had to give credit where credit was due. "Fair point," he agreed. "Still - let me know if we need to change something, okay?"

Keith shrugged and nodded, and then they'd reached the dining hall where the others were already waiting for them.

As they all began to eat, Coran beamed over at them all. "How was Paladin training today?" he asked.

" 's good!" Lance said, his mouth full of noodles. Coran and Hunk had managed to whip up something remarkably like spaghetti, and it was  _really_  good.

Pidge nodded in agreement, spearing another purple meatball with her spork. "Feels like we're operating more efficiently than ever," she said. "Hunk was really on top of his game today."

Hunk grinned over at her as he swallowed and reached for his drink. "Aw, thanks, Pidge," he said. "You were great at guiding me through the maze this morning - I didn't get shocked once!"

Lance inhaled another sporkful of noodles and sauce as he lifted his eyebrows at Keith.

"What?" Keith asked, his own sporkful of space spaghetti halfway to his mouth.

Lance swallowed and put an elbow on the table, gesturing with his spork in Keith's direction. He had to cough before answering, but he managed. "I'm just sayin', man, we could work on our coordination - I got shocked three times today - "

Keith rolled his eyes, but Shiro smiled to himself. It was clear Lance was trying to get a rise out of Keith - like usual - but Keith seemed to know Lance's methods and was choosing not to respond.

That, or Keith just really wanted to eat. One of the two options.

As Keith chewed, he picked up his knife. He held his two utensils up together in Lance's direction as if trying to communicate non-verbaly, and the Blue Paladin amended his statement grudgingly.

"Okay, fine, it was only twice - but dude, it sucks! How come  _you_  never get shocked?!"

Keith swallowed, but before he could answer, Allura had begun speaking.

"Paladins, Coran and I have some news."

Everyone went silent, their full attention coming to rest on the Princess.

"We've spoken with the Council again - and to Rayzor - and they've requested that we make a formal visit to their planet."

You could have heard a spork drop.

"Are you KIDDING me?!" Lance asked, jumping out of his seat in indignation and something resembling panic. "After what happened last time?! Keith nearly  _died_!"

"We  _all_  nearly died," Keith corrected him. Lance turned to glare at him, and Keith was surprised to see that Lance's hands had begun to shake, and his usually friendly face was almost fierce.

"No, Keith -  _you_  almost died," Lance said. "Hunk and I had to break you out of that - that ice cave - and you - you were hurt real bad - and it was all the Council's fault - "

Keith's automatic reply of "No shit, Sherlock, I knew all that," died away before he said it, because Lance's whole body was shaking now, and Keith suddenly realized that Lance was - Lance was - really,  _really_  upset. Keith didn't know how to respond to that.

"Lance," Shiro said, and he'd risen out of his chair and come over to the Blue Paladin to put a hand on his shoulder, a reassuring touch, one that conveyed strength and support.

At his touch, Lance's shaking seemed to subside just a little, and he sat back down in his chair, breathing hard and raising a hand to his face to scrub at his eyes as Shiro continued.

"Lance, it's okay -  _none_  of us like the Council - but we're allies now - both parties took an oath. But trust me - we understand how you feel. We  _all_  do."

Pidge saw Shiro's cybernetic hand clench into a fist down at his side, but when he spoke again, it was in the same gentle tone. "How about we let Allura tell us more about this? I'm sure - I'm sure we're all going to discuss our reply to the Council as a team."

Lance raised his eyes to see Allura nodding over at him, smiling encouragingly. "Of course we are." she said. "Of course we'll decide on what to do together - we're a team, aren't we?"

Shiro gave her a grateful smile, patted Lance's shoulder one last time, and went back to his seat. As Shiro sat back down, Lance stared down at his plate and said, very quietly, "I'm sorry, guys. I just - I just really,  _really_  hated all that."

Hunk reached over and patted Lance on the back.

" 'S okay, buddy," Hunk said. "We understand."

Lance glanced up, looking at Allura. She and he shared a nod, and then she continued.

"As you know, we've already received the shielding devices from Rayzor, and Pidge has just finished installing them on all of the Lions. So transportation to the planet's surface is already something we could manage."

"What about the Castle?" Pidge asked.

Allura nodded at Pidge, acknowledging the validness of the question. "I've been thinking about that," she said. "There is a moon only a short space flight away - Rayzor tells me it's uninhabited, and sometimes their ships land there and replenish supplies. We could land the Castle there, and Coran and I could attend to some long overdue maintenance on the Castle."

"Well, that sounds okay," Hunk said. He looked over at Coran. "How exactly does the Council expect this visit to go?"

Coran sighed, fiddling with his knife as he answered. "Well, to put it simply, I think they would like very much to  _see_  you form Voltron."

Pidge scowled, pushing her glasses further up onto her nose. "What, they don't trust we can do it? They have to see it for themselves?"

Coran smiled at her to show he shared her annoyance at the Council, but he nodded. "Yes," he said. "They haven't said as much in so many words - Allura was in the room at the time, and I think their sense of self-preservation kicked in - but that  _was_  the impression I got."

Keith looked over at Shiro, and saw the Black Paladin's face was thoughtful. "Well, it's not like it would be difficult for us to form Voltron," he said. A smile crept across his face then, and he looked over at Keith. "And anyway - can you imagine the look on their faces when they see us working as a unit?"

Keith grinned back. "Too bad we don't have our bayards. I would have loved to show them how we can have a sword…"

"Or a gun!" Hunk agreed, and his face fell slightly then. "Oh, man…that's actually a good point. How can we fight off monsters as Voltron without our bayards?"

Pidge patted his shoulder. "We're working on that. There's a chance I can reverse engineer our bayards…but it's taking time. At least we've got weapons we can carry, eh?"

Hunk nodded at her, looking slightly reassured.

"Well," Coran said, looking around at the group. "It seems that most of us are agreed." He looked over at Lance, who bit his lip before answering.

"…Okay…" he said, but his voice was less than enthusiastic. "Just as long as they don't try anything."

Coran smiled encouragingly at him. "I assure you," he said, "they will not. Rayzor has sworn to help us, and I trust him." He blew out a breath then, and his mustache fluttered a little. "Mind you, I don't exactly  _like_  him," he said, "but the crystal showed me that we can trust him."

"That's settled, then," Shiro said. "Tomorrow we'll take the Lions to the planet's surface. Coran and Allura will land the Castle on a nearby moon and make some repairs. Though, Allura, you have diplomatic experience - shouldn't you come down to the planet with us?"

Allura tapped her fingers on the table thoughtfully, looking over at Coran, speaking thoughtfully. "Having an Altean presence during the meeting  _would_  show the Council that Paladins and Alteans act together as one."

She smiled then, and it was almost a fierce expression. "And, that means I could see the looks on their faces as you all show them your strength as a unit."

Everyone smiled then, even Lance.

"Okay," he said, and he grinned over at Keith. "That  _is_  something I'd like to see."


	2. Second Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> None of the team want a repeat of last time.

Shiro flew Allura down to the planet's surface in the Black Lion. Rayzor had said in his last communication that the Council wished to meet her in person before witnessing the Lions form Voltron.

Just before she started down the ramp, Shiro reached out and caught hold of her hand in his.

"Allura - " he said. "- please - just - be careful, okay?"

She smiled and squeezed his hand reassuringly, even as she let go of his hand. "I will."

He watched as she left and walked towards the Council, her head up high, her manner formal. He wished he could hear what they were saying, but then she had turned and raised a hand in a gesture that they had agreed upon, her palm flat and completely facing him.

_It's all right. Proceed._

He breathed out a sigh of relief and lifted the ramp back up, heading back into the atmosphere where the other Lions waited.

"It's okay," he said. "She gave us the all clear."

Keith's voice came over the comms. "Good."

Shiro didn't hear any fear or nervousness in his friend's voice, but then, Keith had always been good at pushing aside feelings when necessary. And right now, they were going to show the Council that the Paladins of Voltron were a united unit.

"Okay," Shiro said. "Let's show them what we can do."

From her place beside the Council, Allura smiled up as the Lions flew in formation over the planet's surface. Her Paladins flew as they never had before.

Keith took great pleasure in seeing the Council's reactions to Voltron when the five Lions seamlessly merged into the Defender of the Universe. He half-suspected the Council had hoped his Lion would have some difficulty in making the transformation.

After they'd separated once again and landed the Lions side by side on the ground, the Paladins remained in their seats for a few moments, none of them keen to meet the people who had tried to kill them all only a week before.

"Come on," Shiro said. "Let's go out and…" he sighed slightly. "…meet the Council."

Everyone except Keith made various sounds of dislike that bordered on hostility.

"Can't I ice over just  _one_  lake before we do?" Lance asked. "There's one right over there - just close enough to make them jump." He heard Shiro sigh over the comms.

" _No_ , Lance," he said. "Let's not get off on the wrong foot."

"They did kinda almost kill you and Keith - and then the rest of us - and then Keith again," Pidge reminded him. "Hard for first impressions to go downhill from there."

On his comms screen, Keith saw Hunk nod emphatically at Pidge's statement, and he half-smiled himself.

"Guys," he said, "Come on, let's just go already. Let's not give them any more reasons to dislike us. Or me. Whatever."

"Okay…" Hunk said. "But Keith, if they do anything suspicious, we're getting you out of here pronto."

Keith sighed. The Yellow Paladin was being super-protective lately. "Okay, sure," he said, knowing better than to try and argue.

Lance grumbled, and Pidge muttered, but Keith saw Shiro smile proudly to himself, and Keith felt glad to know Shiro was proud of him.

He was also glad his team didn't see just how nervous he really was. He still remembered the intensity of fear and hate the Council had directed at him, and how he'd nearly died from the injuries he'd sustained from his last visit to this planet.

 _Do not worry, my pilot,_ he heard Red growl.  _If anything like that even_ _ **begins**_ _to happen, I will rip them to pieces. After I get you to safety, of course._

"Red…" he sighed, then realized none of the other Paladins would have heard Red's threat. "Uh - " he said, "-so - yeah - Red's - being Red. He agrees with Hunk, by the way."

Lance smiled, and it was a fierce expression. "Good," he said. "But Red probably also said something about destroying anything that tries to kill you, right?"

Keith nodded. "Yeah, that too."

Pidge grinned. "Awesome. Red says it like it is." Hunk nodded emphatically again.

Keith saw Shiro open his mouth, then shut it again. It was clear he agreed with the others.

"Anyway…" Keith said. He and Shiro exchanged a look over their comms screen.

_You okay?_

_Let's just get this over with._

"Okay. Let's go," the Black Paladin said, and they all disembarked from their Lions and joined the Princess on the ground.

Allura made sure to greet them all with a nod and a smile, and Shiro took no offense at how she directed her brightest smile towards Keith. Right now, he knew that the more unity they showed as a team, the better.

"Well done, Paladins," she said, genuine pride in her voice. " _Very_  well done."

Keith saw Rayzor standing near the Council, and he felt slightly - strangely - relieved. At least one of the Proselyt here hadn't tried to kill him the last time they'd met.

Well, sort of. If looks could kill, maybe that wasn't strictly true.

But, given how weird this all was, Keith would take any encouragement he could get.

Then a communicator on Rayzor's belt crackled, and a report came in that made the day a whole hell of a lot worse.


	3. An Old Enemy Resurfaces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sendak is back. This is not good news.

Coran knew the team and Allura would be all right, but that didn't mean he couldn't worry about them all the same. He ran the diagnostic checks on the Castle and made a few repairs, glad that the mice perched on his shoulders or peeked up from his vest pockets as he did so.

The castle was too big for him to feel comfortable without some kind of company.

He'd realized that after Allura had been forced to destroy the AI chamber that held King Alfor's memories.

As he remembered that terrible day, the mice seemed to sense his distress. The smallest one ran up his arm and nuzzled him under the chin, while the others cheeped encouragingly to him from his pockets, as if to tell him that he wasn't alone, that it was all right.

He smiled and wiped a tear from his eye as he ran the final check on the castle's particle barrier.

It was at full power, so it would keep the castle safe and protected during the recharge cycle.

Coran sighed, still feeling a pang of sorrow despite his companions' attempts to cheer him up.

The destruction of King Alfor's AI had enabled Allura to take control of the ship once more, but a complete and interrupted recharge cycle was the only way to be absolutely certain that no trace of the Galra infection remained in the Castle's systems.

The downside was that once the recharge cycle was initiated, the Castle would be unable to lift off until the cycle was complete, although the Lions and Altean shuttles could could still enter through the Castle's particle barrier. The temporary loss of the Castle's mobility was undesirable, but Coran and Allura had agreed that it was best to be safe rather than sorry when dealing with the Galra crystal infection.

Coran keyed in the proper sequence and was about to hit the 'Initiate' button when a sudden hiss of static came over the comms, followed by a voice saying his name.

"Coran!"

It was Keith.

Coran quickly grabbed hold of a headset and put it on. "Keith! I'm here-what is it?"

Keith's voice was controlled, but it was clear he was tense.

"One of the Council's patrols just found a pod on the surface."

Coran sucked in a breath as Keith continued. "It's the one Sendak was in-"

Keith's voice shook for a second, but when he spoke again, it was clear he was forcing his voice to remain steady.

"And - and it's empty - the pod was broken out from the inside. He's loose."

Coran reeled at the idea, trying to think how that might have happened, but Keith had continued to speak.

"Allura says that sometimes - if the pod is reaching the end of its occupant's viability - it'll re-orient on the nearest planet to the ship it launched from. The moon's mass must be too small to count as a planet - so that's probably why it landed here. And because the atmosphere of this planet is weaponized, we think the controls keeping him in cyro-sleep must have shorted out just before the pod crashed. The patrol that found the pod didn't see anyone when they got to the crash site - and they got there  _fast_. He's somewhere around here-"

"Where are you now?" Coran asked.

"We're all here - in the tunnels, with the Council and Allura - except Shiro. He's taken Black and is flying over the planet looking for Sendak. Allura wanted us all to search in our Lions, but it sounds like we might have done too good a job showing the Council what we can do with Voltron."

Coran bared his teeth at the empty air in front of him. "Let me guess," he said, "the Council doesn't feel comfortable at the thought of all of you working together, flying over their planet's surface."

Keith's voice took on a wry tone. "Gee, what could have given you that impression?"

"Do you need me to come to you?" Coran asked. "I can take a pod and be there in just a few minutes-"

There was a sound of static, and then Allura's voice came over the comms. "Sorry, Coran, we don't have very a good connection here - I asked Keith to give me his comm. It works best if we only have one transmitting at a time. Have you initiated the recharge cycle yet?"

"I was just about to. Do you still want me to do so?"

Allura considered for a moment. "I think we should. The sooner we start it, the sooner the cycle will finish."

"Yes," Coran agreed, "but Princess, shouldn't I come to you? I can take a pod and launch it before the Castle's particle barrier goes up."

"I don't know, Coran-"

But Allura's voice cut off then, as if she was listening to something in the background. Then there was more static, the sound of something clattering to the ground, followed by muffled sounds of confusion, and then a sudden cry of pain.

"Allura? - Allura!" Coran shouted, sudden panic overcoming him. More static, and then Pidge was shouting into the commlink, her usually contained and thoughtful voice pitched high in panic.

"Coran! Sendak took her! He took Allura!"

Coran reeled and only just managed to steady himself against a wall, feeling as if someone had stabbed him in the chest.

"How-" he said, his voice shaking. "How - what - "

"He took out the lights - but I saw him! I saw Sendak take her - Keith tried to stop him, but Sendak just pulled Allura away and then he was gone into one of the tunnels!"

Pidge was fighting back tears. "The others went right after her - Coran, I've got to go help - Lance is contacting Shiro right now - "

Even as she spoke, Coran turned and raced towards the bay where the shuttles stood ready. Sensing his intention, the mice leapt off his shoulders as he ran out of the control room.

"Pidge, I'm coming!" he shouted. "Give me your location!"

Pidge stammered out the coordinates, but then he heard her voice go even higher as she realized what he was planning to do.

"Coran - you don't have a shielding device - you'll crash - you could di- "

" _I'm the best Altean pilot in the universe!_ " he bellowed at her then, rage and panic completely overriding his usual demeanor. "I'm not staying here while Allura is in danger!"

He skidded into the hanger and sprinted towards the nearest shuttle even as he said it. Pidge tried to say something else, but he couldn't hear her.

He shouted back towards the mice, "Initiate the recharge cycle once I'm clear!" as he leapt into the shuttle and launched it much, much faster than any Altean engineer would have ever recommended.

As the shuttle shot away from the moon and towards the planet's surface, Coran saw a comms screen from the Castle open up on the screen to his left, saw the mice had piled into a pyramid on the control panel. He didn't understand their cheeping or chittering, but he saw that they had hit the 'Initiate' button just as he'd told them to.

As the Castle's particle barrier shimmered into being behind him, the mice chittered and cheeped even louder at him. He didn't hear the words or thoughts like Allura could. But he knew what they were telling him.

_Save her! Save the Princess!_

Feeling his hands clutch at the controls with a death grip, his heart pounding as if it would beat right out of his chest, Coran flew the shuttle towards the coordinates Pidge had given him.

Sendak had gotten the Princess.

Coran knew they were running out of time.


	4. Searching

As he flew Black over the planet's surface, searching for signs of Sendak, Shiro snarled to himself.

Stupid, stupid,  _stupid_  - this was his fault - he'd ejected the pod out into space - dammit, dammit,  **dammit**  -

_It is not your fault,_  Black said to him, sensing his distress and attempting to calm him.  _The crystal infected the castle - it played upon your fears -_

"But I let it!" Shiro said to her, anger rising in his chest. "Black - "

Suddenly his comms crackled into life, and Lance was saying his name, and Shiro felt a sudden rush of both hope and worry.

"Lance - did they find -"

"SHIRO!" Lance cut over him, and his voice was panicked, almost thready. "Shiro - you've got to track Allura's position - do it, now!"

Something in Lance's voice told Shiro they didn't have a second to lose.

"Black!"

_My pilot, she is near - but - she is not with the other Paladins -_

Even as she spoke in his mind, Lance was saying more. "It's Sendak - he got into the tunnels somehow - he took her! He took her - we think he's going to kill her - Shiro, you've  _got_  to find her - you've got to find her  _now_  -"

Shiro felt his vision flicker at the edges and shrink for an awful instant, fear and rage and terror all mixing into an almost vicious sense of panic.

But Black had already turned and begun to fly in the direction where Allura was - Shiro could sense that - so he was told Lance to keep looking, to keep searching, that he was coming - but then there was a burst of static, and suddenly the comms cut out. Just as the connection was lost, Black flew into a gorge that was not far from where the Council had met with Allura, and Shiro felt they had to be close.

There were tunnel entrances everywhere here, high up on either side of the steep rocky walls, down by the river that ran through the bottom. Rocks and mist were  _everywhere_  - Sendak could have taken her  _anywhere_  - but Sendak was smart, he would know he couldn't run or hide with the Princess for long - and that meant that Shiro might - literally - only have seconds to act.

Shiro forced himself to think, to stay in control of his emotions long enough to find and save Allura. He could panic later, after she was safe.

Sendak had grabbed Allura from the tunnels - and it had probably been one of the ones that were closer to the surface - he would have tried to stay as close to an escape route as possible.

And he wouldn't have wanted to chance being caught or stopped by too many guards, so he would have headed out of the tunnels as soon as he could have.

He'd lost his cybernetic arm in the fight with Keith and Pidge - and he hadn't been able to get another one. Allura was strong, more than strong enough to get free if Sendak tried to kill her - unless - unless Sendak was just planning to -

"BLACK!" Shiro screamed. "Scan the tunnel entrances at the top of the gorge - hurry!"

Even as Black turned her eyes up to the top of the gorge, Shiro saw two figures on the edge of a plateau, and he felt his heart almost stop in dread as one of them - a slender figure with long white hair - was thrown off the edge and dropped into the mist, towards the sharp rocks at the bottom of the canyon.

"BLACK!" Shiro screamed to his Lion. He had never felt so desperate, so frantic. "CATCH HER - NOW!"


	5. Teamwork

Allura felt dizzy, and sick, but she was also - distantly - furious. She knew something had happened, and she'd been grabbed. Oh, she was going to  _kill_  someone when she regained her full senses.

She'd been talking to Coran over the comms, and suddenly the lights had gone out around her. Even as she turned back towards Keith, she felt something hard - a rock - slam into the back of her head.

She reeled, falling into someone - she thought it was Keith - and he shouted her name and tried to grab her arm, but there was a sudden cracking, snapping sound, then a scream, and cries of confusion and fear, and then a clawed hand had grabbed hold of her, she'd been thrown over a shoulder, and she had lost consciousness for a few moments.

When she came back to her senses, it took her a few ticks to realize that Sendak - how in Altea's name had  _he_  gotten into the tunnels? - had taken her away from the Paladins - and he'd brought her somewhere - the sun shone brightly around them - they were outside. She could hear the roar of a waterfall somewhere nearby.

Still dazed, she realized that somehow, he was managing to drag her along the ground - by the back of her neck - towards the edge of a plateau.  _Oh, quiznak._

She tried to gather her scrambled wits, get her feet to move, and she managed to strike out at him, but then he reached down, grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her up.

He snarled into her face, and his yellow eyes were terrifying.

As she tried desperately to get free, she heard Pidge scream her name, and pounding footsteps coming towards her, from the tunnel's entrance.

" _Allura_!"

Allura knew the Paladins were coming, but they wouldn't get to her in time. In her efforts to break free from Sendak's grip, she had lost her unsteady footing on the treacherous ground, rocks shifting and breaking away from the edge of the cliff, and now the only thing that was keeping Allura from falling to her death was Sendak's grip around her throat.

She tried to shape shift then, to gain a surprise advantage, but the Galra sensed her attempt and tightened his grip on her neck. She coughed, unable to take in a breath, and bright sparks faded in and out of her vision. She couldn't - she couldn't do  _anything_  -  _anything_ to keep him from -

Sendak held her high above his head, out over the cliff's edge. He smiled up into her face then, and she knew he was about to drop her.

She was going to fall.

"Rapid-Sa", he growled, and then - then he threw the Princess of Altea off of the cliff - just as her Paladins came within sight.

"NO!" Lance screamed as he saw Allura vanish into the mists below, saw Sendak turn to leer at them. Horror, and rage, and panic pounded through his chest. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"Pity," the Galra was saying. "She was a pretty thing." His eyes flickered down towards the long, long fall through the mists to the sharp rocks below. He looked back at them and smiled, his one good eye narrowed in malicious pleasure. "Not anymore, though."

Keith roared in rage then, lunging forward, bringing his broadsword up in a vicious swing. Sendak turned, mostly avoiding the blow - but then Hunk fired several shots from his gun, and three of them struck Sendak full in the chest, the others going wide of their target. The Galra commander staggered backwards, lost his footing, and plunged off the cliff with a scream that echoed among the rocks.

Lance was frozen in place, staring at where Allura had vanished into the mists. Pidge let out a sob and fell to her knees, bringing both her hands up to cover her face. Hunk put a hand onto her shoulder, his own face pale and horror-stricken.

Keith was the one nearest to the edge. He heard something from the mists, brought his sword back up, just in case Sendak had somehow managed to -

Then the Black Lion soared up from the valley's floor, and it gracefully turned and landed on the plateau beside them. In its' front paws was -

" _Allura_!"

Pidge's voice broke on the word, and Lance lunged forward, to where the Black Lion had laid Allura safely on the ground, his face pale, almost deathly white. Dropping to his knees beside her, he checked her pulse while the other Paladins raced over to join him.

"Oh my god - " Hunk said, dropping to his knees beside Lance, "Is she - did Black -"

Lance took in a shaky breath before he answered. "She's okay," he said. "I think - I think Black caught her before - before - "

Pidge shoved her way between them, pushing them back from the Princess, and without ceremony, she grabbed hold of Allura's shoulders and called the Princess' name.

"Allura! Allura! ALLURA!"

The Princess' eyes slowly blinked open, and it took her a moment to realize that she wasn't dead, but instead, surrounded by four of her Paladins. She raised a hand to the back of her head, clearly still quite dazed. When she took it away, blood stained her fingertips.

"Pidge?" she asked, confusion in her voice. "What - oh - did Shiro - "

The Green Paladin let out a cry of relief and threw her arms around Allura, who let out a startled noise.

"Oh my god we thought you were dead-don't- don't ever- don't ever do that again-" Pidge gabbled, burying her head into Allura's shoulder. Allura blinked, but raised an arm to hug the Green Paladin.

"Of course - of course I'm not dead," Allura said. She looked up to where Black's ramp was lowering. "Bl-Black - she caught me - I'm just - I'm just a bit dizzy-"

Even as she spoke, Keith saw Shiro leap down off the ramp before it had fully landed on the ground and begin to run over to their little group. His face was chalk-white.

Keith put a hand on Pidge's shoulder, and she sniffed and scooted a little bit away from Allura, to make room for Shiro.

Even as she did so, Shiro was dropping to his knees and taking Allura into his arms. His cybernetic hand brushed her hair out of her face, and then he was looking into her face, asking her if she was okay, if anything hurt, if -

She smiled at him, and it was genuine, but it was a bit weary.

"I'm - I'm fine," she said. "I just - I just feel a bit dizzy - "

She closed her eyes then and leaned her head against his shoulder. Shiro bit back more frantic questions, forcing himself not to say any more just yet. Instead, he just held her close and pressed his face into her hair, holding her tight against him.

"I got you," he said. His voice was muffled, but she heard it clearly. Allura's eyes were still closed, but she smiled. She felt his fingers stroke her hair, very softly, and knew that he was being especially careful not to touch the place where the blood coated her hair.

"I got you," Shiro said again, and Hunk saw a few tears slide down his leader's face. Shiro seemed to have troubling saying else for a few moments.

Hunk couldn't blame Shiro at all. Everyone was pretty shaken up from the close call.

Keith let out a breath and wiped a hand across his face, his entire body beginning to shake in delayed response to the multitude of emotions racing through him. Lance had visibly sagged in relief, and Hunk brushed a few tears out of his own eyes too.

Pidge had gotten back to her feet, taking a few steps back to give Allura and Shiro some more room, and Hunk put an arm around her in a comforting half-hug. The youngest Paladin was still shaking, and she turned and wrapped both arms around Hunk's middle, and Hunk hugged her back with both arms then, making soothing sounds.

" 'S okay," he said. "She's okay. We're all okay." Pidge sniffed a few times and kept her face buried in Hunk's side.

Keith, Lance, and Hunk exchanged looks then. All of them were pale, and silent, and serious.

That had been far too close. They'd almost lost Allura to Sendak.

It had happened because they'd gotten separated in the tunnels. It hadn't been anyone's fault - but…

The full impact of their situation had rushed back to them.

They were fighting a war.

And wherever they went, they had to be on their guard.

Keith heard footsteps behind them then, and turned to see Rayzor and Coran emerge from the tunnel's exit and begin to race towards them. Both of their faces were set in - furious anxiety? Frantic concern? Both, probably.

Keith raised a hand, signaling that everything was okay. Coran didn't slow down - Keith hadn't really expected him too - but his eyes visibly lost some of the panic they'd had. Keith stepped to one side, away from the other Paladins, to make it easier for Coran to reach Allura.

"She's okay - " Keith said as Coran raced past him. "- Sendak's dead - Shiro's got Allura - "

Coran nodded in understanding, still intent on getting to his Princess as fast as possible. The other Paladins - all of them but Shiro - moved a little farther away from Allura, and Coran dropped to his knees beside the Princess.

Shiro looked up then, realizing Coran had arrived, and whispered something into Allura's ear as he loosened his grip on her, just a tiny bit, and Allura opened her eyes and smiled weakly at Coran.

" _Princess_ ," Coran said, and his voice broke.

"I'm - I'm fine, Coran," she said, her voice soft but getting stronger. "I - I just - I'm just - a little shaken - is all. I'll be back - to normal - in - in - just a few moments."

Coran put a shaking hand on her shoulder, and he nodded, clearly unable to say anything else at the moment. Tears sparkled in his eyes, and Allura saw, and she smiled again at him, trying to reassure him by reaching out a hand and laying it on Coran's arm.

"I really am - all right," she said. "Please - don't be distressed - I'm really all right, Coran - "

Coran nodded, turned away, and mopped his eyes, taking a few moments to regain his composure. Lance, still standing nearby, took a few steps closer and put a hand on Coran's shoulder.

" 'S okay," he said, his usual joking tone completely gentle and soothing. "Coran - it's okay. She's okay." Then the Blue Paladin blinked. "Wait. Coran, how did you get here?"

Coran laughed then, the sound a mixture of hilarity and sudden, exhausted relief. "I crashed a shuttle," he said.

Lance looked over at Pidge, who nodded, and then the Blue Paladin looked back at Coran and patted his shoulder again, a shaky smile spreading across his face.

"Dude," he said, "you and I should start a club."


	6. Priorities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayzor realizes that Keith is a lot more loyal then he thought.

Once Coran had reached Allura, Keith finally allowed himself to breathe again. His legs suddenly went wobbly with relief, and he supported himself by thrusting his sword into the ground and leaning on it - like an impromptu walking stick.

Stars, that had been close. Far, far too close.

Rayzor had stopped once he reached Keith. The blue-skinned alien looked down at Keith then, and although the initial dislike was still there, there was a grudging curiosity as well.

"How?" he asked, and Keith told him - very briefly - how Sendak had finally met his end.

"Your friend shot him and he - he fell off the cliff?" Rayzor asked once he had finished.

"I wish I'd stabbed him first," Keith said. "But yeah. He's definitely dead." Keith scowled in brief annoyance at his failure to properly kill the bastard himself.

"How do we know if - " Rayzor began, but Keith cut him off. "Sendak wasn't wearing a jetpack - just his Galra uniform - and he hadn't gained any tech or weapons from your weapons rooms in the tunnels - you kept them too well guarded."

Keith turned his gaze down towards the mist-covered gorge then, feeling a hard smirk cross his features. "There's no way he survived. Still - we should make sure there's a body. Better to be safe than sorry."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Rayzor turn to look down into the valley, and then the blue-skinned, red-eyed alien nodded as well, a suddenly fierce smile crossing his face.

"Never thought I'd agree with  _you_  on anything," Rayzor said, "but that's what I think as well."

"Miracle of miracles," Keith said in a flat, deadpan voice. " _You_  agreeing with a Galra."

They exchanged looks then, and Rayzor felt one eyebrow raise in a half-amused fashion.

"Indeed," he said. Then he noticed that the Red Paladin was cradling his left hand against his chest, as if -

"Are you injured?" Rayzor asked.

Keith shrugged. "It's nothing serious," he replied. "I'll take care of it later. Right now, we have to-"

With an impatient sound, Rayzor grabbed hold of Keith's left forearm and twisted it so the injury was out in plain sight.

"It is foolish to conceal an injury," he told the Red Paladin. "How can you expect to fulfill your duties as a Paladin if you -"

He stopped mid-word as he saw the full extent of the injury. Three of Keith's fingers were quite obviously broken, and the rest of the hand was a bruised, bloody mess. It must have happened when Sendak attacked them in the tunnels.

Keith had tried to hold onto Allura, and Sendak had - well, Rayzor thought the Galra had just wrenched the Princess free - but it seemed as if Sendak had tried to crush Keith's hand instead. He'd almost succeeded.

Keith jerked his arm out of Rayzor's grip. A spasm of pain crossed his face, but he bit back an exclamation and just glared at Rayzor again. "Like I said," he spat, his dark purple eyes blazing, "it's nothing serious. Allura comes first."

Rayzor felt his annoyance rise, but now he felt something else too. Respect.

"Foolishness," he said again. He saw the Princess had begun to get to her feet, with Coran and Shiro's help, and he and Keith turned to face her again.

"Is - is everything all right?" she asked them, and out of the corner of his eye, Rayzor saw Keith nod once, firmly, bringing his injured hand to his side, out of sight of the Princess.

"Fine," the Red Paladin answered. "Rayzor and I were just - discussing - about how we should send a search party down to the valley to make sure that Sendak's actually dead this time."

Coran looked over at Rayzor, and they nodded at each other. Coran said, "That's a good idea. I will help -"

Rayzor cut across Coran's words, interrupting him. "First, we should take you all back to the med bay. You all took injury of one kind or another - " he saw Keith glaring at him out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored him as he continued, "- and anyway, it's best if you all stay together for now."

"That's fine," Shiro said. "Allura, are you -"

She smiled at both him and Coran than, in an expression of simultaneous gratitude and appreciation. "I think - " she said, "- I think I can manage now - "

She tried to take a step on her own, but it was a shaky step, and she nearly overbalanced. Shiro immediately took some of her weight again, and Coran almost did so as well, but she waved him aside.

"I - I think I can manage with just - one person," she said. "But thank you, Coran - I -" she took a breath before continuing. "I - I think I would rest easier if - if we knew for certain Sendak was dead. Could you-"

But Coran was already nodding, turning back towards Rayzor. "I will go search for Sendak's body," he said. His usually friendly face was harder than usual, and his eyes were on fire. "May I take some of your guards with me?"

Rayzor nodded. "Of course - I'll come with you - but first I'll lead you all to the med bay. While the rest of you are taken care of, Coran and I will take some guards and locate the body."

As Shiro helped support Allura, and they both began following Rayzor back into the tunnels, Lance leaned over to Pidge and whispered, "If Sendak isn't dead already, he'll be dead once Coran finds him," and Pidge nodded emphatically in agreement.

Coran had told Keith about how Sendak had killed their ally's brother, and Keith smiled. If he'd had fangs, it would have been a very intimidating expression.

"Hell," Keith said. "He'll be dead once  _Rayzor_  finds him. And if Coran and Rayzor find him  _together_? Sendak would be better off flying out an airlock-"

"No need to worry," Hunk said. His eyes were flat and hard, but not in anger. It was something else. "He's dead. I know he is."

Lance put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and Hunk looked over at him. "You did good, Hunk."

Hunk shrugged, but Pidge hugged him again, and when he looked down, Pidge was staring back up at him, her eyes wide and big, very puppy-dog ish and sincerely honest. "You did," she agreed. "You did  _really_  good."

Hunk sighed then, and Keith saw that his friend was still sad, but some of the hardness had left his eyes.

"I know," he said. "I just - I just hated how angry I got. It - it felt -"

Keith managed to put his broadsword back in its sheath, and came over to stand beside Hunk. He still kept his injured left hand down at his side, out of sight, but he put his right hand on Hunk's shoulder.

"You were fine, Hunk." he said. "Trust me - I know a thing or two about anger. It's not something you have to feel ashamed of - you just have to - uh - channel it right."

Hunk looked over at him, his eyes wide. "Really?"

Keith felt a genuine smile cross his face. It was tired, and it was only there for an instant, but Hunk found it very reassuring.

"Yeah." Keith said. "It's all about what you decide to do with it. And I'll tell you this much - shooting someone who just throw your friend off a cliff is  _completely_  okay."

Hunk laughed then, and it was a shaky sound. "Yeah, that sounds fair."

They all headed into the tunnels then, side by side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? Keith hiding an injury so that his team doesn't worry? All aboard the hurt/comfort train, please. This guy is amazing.
> 
> Don't mind me, I'm just talking to myself as I write. :-)


	7. Epilogue (In the Med Bay)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith on pain meds is...actually quite adorable.

Once they'd reached the med bay, Rayzor and Coran left to gather up the guards and to form search parties for Sendak's body.

Allura was declared by the med-techs to be just fine - shaken, but perfectly well. The skin around the cut had bruised, but the injury itself was nothing serious.

"I  _told_  you I was fine," she said to Shiro as the med techs moved on to the other Paladins, but although she tried to keep her voice teasing, it still came out a bit shaky.

Shiro made a noncommittal sound and gently pushed her back into the chair she'd started to rise from. "Uh-huh," he said. "Well, how about you just sit for a little while?"

She opened her mouth to protest, but then he said, without heat, "Please, Allura. It would - " he sighed and finally, a half-smile crossed his face. "It would make me feel better," he said, and she allowed herself to sink back into the chair again.

"That was a cheap shot," she grumbled, but he could tell she didn't mean it.

"I don't know  _what_  you mean," he replied, and saw a genuine smile cross her face, and it made him feel just a little less frightened, just a little less panicked.

He had thought he wouldn't make it to her in time, and though he did - just barely - he had feared that maybe, when Black caught Allura, her neck had snapped from the force of the fall.

But it had worked. She was safe.

He hadn't lost her. She was fine.

Suddenly Lance was exclaiming about something, and Shiro's attention was pulled back to the other side of the room.

" _Dude_!" Lance was saying, his eyes huge and his jaw dropping open. He was staring straight at Keith. "Why didn't you  _say_  something?"

Lance, along with Hunk and Pidge, were staring goggle-eyed at the bruised and broken skin of Keith's left hand as the med techs applied salve and began splinting and bandaging it with a faintly glowing assembly of web-like splints.  _Cyber-splints_ , Pidge had probably called them.  _Reduced healing time and looking awesome simultaneously._

Keith hissed out a breath then, pain flickering across his features as he answered, "Because we had bigger problems at hand."

Lance threw his hands up into the air. " _ **Dude**! Your hand was_   ** _broken_**!"

" _Yeah_ ," Keith grated out, "but like I  _said_  -" he broke off then, swallowing back a sound as the med-techs wrapped another layer of bandages around his broken fingers, and then continued, his voice a little more strained than before. "-we had - to take - immediate action. And - I could still - fight with - one hand-"

The med tech tied off the bandage then, securing the final layer of cyber-splints and bandages, and Keith's voice broke off again. He sat up a little bit straighter in his chair, his face going a few shades paler.

Hunk's face creased with distress at seeing his friend's pain, and he asked the med techs,

"Hey! Uh - do you have anything that might - you know, help him?" He nodded over at Keith. They looked at each other, and one of them shrugged.

"We have something that  _might_  help," the head med-tech said. He opened a drawer, took out something that looked like a really thick band-aide, and placed it on the inside of Keith's left wrist, almost like a watch. Then the med tech stepped back, watching Keith's face.

The Red Paladin eyes suddenly seemed less strained, and he visibly relaxed a little. "Th-thanks," he said. He swallowed, and his next words came easier. "That - that's feeling a  _lot_  better."

The med tech nodded. "I wasn't sure if it would have an effect," he said, turning back to the left-over bandages and splints, starting to put them away. "We haven't really - well, let's just say that you pose a fascinating question to any usual administration of medicine."

Keith looked over at the med-tech then, blinking as if he were really, really tired. "Huh?" he asked, and then his eyes widened. "Oh,  _right_ ," he said. "Half-Galra." The pain relief medicine was clearly slowing his reflexes, while at the same time making Keith more likely to voice what he was thinking.

The med tech's fingers twitched a little then, as if he were unused to hearing the word 'Galra' used so easily. "Yes," he said, looking back over his shoulder at Keith then, his red eyes curious, and maybe - very slightly - amused.

Keith wasn't looking at the med tech anymore - he'd fixed his eyes onto his bandaged and splinted hand. "It's still weird," he said, almost as if he were talking to himself. " 'S not like - scary weird - not anymore - but - it's still weird."

He sighed then, rubbing the spot between his eyes with his unbroken hand, almost like he had a headache, and then he muttered, "Purple - is - a - a really  _weird_  color."

Everyone looked at each other than, unsure of what to do. It was clear the medicine was making Keith talk more than he usually did. Lance almost wanted to take advantage of the moment to learn more about his 'rival', but something told him that wouldn't really be fair to Keith. It would be like reading someone's journal when they hadn't given you permission and weren't even in the room - a breach of privacy, a violation of trust.

Lance knew couldn't do that. Not to anyone.

Shiro went over to Keith and put a hand on his shoulder. Keith looked up at him then, and a momentary look of confusion crossed his face. "What's up?" he asked, and his voice was slower than usual. "Whatss-wrong?"

"You're thinking out loud, Keith," Shiro said. "I think you're probably feeling tired. Do you want to lie down?"

Keith shrugged. "Sure…I guess…"

Shiro helped Keith to get up from his chair and walk over to a nearby bed. Keith sat down on the side of the bed, his head already nodding forward, his eyes sliding mostly shut.

"Come on, buddy," Shiro said. "Just lie down, it's okay."

Keith was asleep by the time his head hit the pillow. As Shiro pulled a blanket over his friend, he noted that Keith's breathing was even, and his bandaged hand was laying on top of his chest.

Good.

Shiro turned to face the other Paladins, a small smile on his face. "Yeah, he'll be fine," he said. He walked back over to the med tech who had found the pain relief medicine and held out his hand.

"Thanks," he said. "My friend doesn't really - well, he's never been great about communicating, but he was in a lot of pain. Thanks for helping him."

The med tech shook Shiro's hand. He had a firm grip.

"What's your name?" Lance asked. The med-tech looked over at him.

"It's Aurelis."

"Thanks, Aurelis," Lance said. Pidge and Hunk voiced their thanks as well. The med-tech shrugged, half-smiling despite himself.

"Well - I'm glad to know it  _is_  helping," he said, and then he and other med techs finished putting their medical supplies away. As they left the room, the med tech turned back to the group.

"You're all going to be fine," Aurelis said, his manner brisk and efficient. "But I would suggest some rest, if that's possible."

Shiro nodded. "Okay. Do you know when Coran and Rayzor might be back?"

The med tech shrugged. "I would think relatively soon. But for now, I suggest you all get some rest. We'll have food and drink brought to you all shortly."

Once the Paladins and the Princess were alone in the room, Lance hurried over to Keith to look at him again.

"Do you think he'll remember saying those things when he wakes up?" he asked Pidge, who shrugged.

"I dunno," she said, sitting down on the chair Keith had recently vacated. "Pain meds can do weird things to people."

Hunk nodded vigorously. "Remember when I had my wisdom teeth out?" he asked Lance. "Man, I do  _not_  remember  _half_  of what I said for hours afterwards - was there something about rabbits?"

Lance half-grinned at the memory. "Sort of - we were talking about hamburgers, and I said I liked lettuce on mine. Then - like, half an hour later - you just blurted, right of the blue, that you thought rabbits were cute.'"

Lance shrugged as Hunk laughed at that image. "I figured you weren't completely there, man."

Hunk chuckled. "Yeah - I  _totally_  wasn't."

Shiro and Allura had been talking quietly, but now Hunk saw Shiro beckon them all over, and the three of them came over to stand by the chair where Allura sat. She smiled at them all, and Pidge was really glad to see that the Princess was looking much more like her usual self.

They spoke about what had happened in the tunnels, and it was then they learned how Shiro had managed to get back in time to rescue Allura.

Pidge had known that Shiro had been off scouting the planet, searching for Sendak near the pod's crash site. Apparently when he'd received Lance's transmission, he'd flown the Black Lion to Allura's location - and then - when Allura had fallen - Shiro and Black had caught her.

Lance shuddered at the memory of Allura vanishing over the edge of the cliff.

It had been too close. Shiro and Allura both agreed on that. But they made sure the other Paladins did not take on any blame for what had happened.

"It just means," Allura said, her voice strong once more, "that we'll have to be more careful in the future."

Shiro nodded. "Obviously, there's only so much we can do, but - "

Allura's earrings suddenly glowed red, and Coran's voice was heard by all of them.

"Princess," he said, and his voice was distinctly worn and tired, " - we found Sendak-"

Allura inhaled sharply, and Pidge saw Shiro's cybernetic hand clench into a fist. Coran's voice continued, but it had become more satisfied and almost savagely pleased.

"-but don't worry! He is very, very,  _very_  dead. We have nothing more to fear from him."

They all let out a breath of relief then, and Allura smiled at the looks on all their faces. "Thank you, Coran," she said. "Will you be coming back soon, then?"

"Yes, Princess!" he said, and his voice was now pleasantly excited. "We should be back within the hour."

"I'm glad," Allura said. "We're all here in the med bay. We look forward to seeing you."

"As do I," Coran said. "I'll be there soon."

The transmission switched off, and Allura smiled at her Paladins. "Well, that's one enemy we can cross off the list," she said with satisfaction.

Pidge adjusted her glasses, a dark bit of humor dancing through her eyes. "Wow. And none of us ended up in a pod this time. That's got to be a new record."

Lance raised his hands above his head in a silent 'Yay us!' expression, but then he glanced over at Keith and pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the sleeping Red Paladin. "Does it still count if one of us is zonked out on painkillers?"

"Oh, yeah, it still totally counts," Hunk said. "'Cause, Keith will probably wake up in like, an hour? Maybe two? Compared to pod time, that's practically nothing."

Pidge smiled. "Well, I hope he wakes up in time for dinner, because otherwise, I'm taking his dessert."

The rest of the time Keith was asleep was spent in pleasant conversation - such as 'was it really stealing if you took someone's dessert if they weren't going to eat it in the first place.'

Hunk and Lance maintained that it was absolutely stealing. Pidge disagreed. Shiro and Allura just sat back and watched the Paladins interact with each other.

Shiro leaned over to Allura and said, keeping his voice low, "I'm really glad you're okay."

Allura turned to face him, reaching out a hand that he automatically took in his own. "I'm glad too," she said. "But you know…I thought I would be."

Shiro looked into her face then, his eyes intent. "You did?" he asked. It was clear he was trying to keep some skepticism out of his voice.

Allura nodded, smiling. "Well, I  _was_  worried," she said, trying to keep her voice light. "But it worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Shiro let out a slow breath then, and his fingers tightened around hers. "It did…" he said. "But it was still too close."

Allura felt the smile on her face fade slightly. "I know," she said. "But - we're fighting a war, Shiro. I - I can't just stay in the castle - "

Shiro looked slightly startled, but said, "Oh - no, Allura, I wouldn't ask you to do anything like that - I just - " He took in another breath, and said, very softly, "I just - I just don't ever want to lose you."

She smiled back at him then, but she knew her eyes were tearing up. "I know," she said. "I don't want to lose you either - I- "

She broke off, unable to continue. She tightened her grasp on Shiro's hand then, just as he did the same.

They both looked over at the others. Keith was still sleeping peacefully, Lance and Hunk were laughing, and Pidge was waving her arms over her head for emphasis as she proclaimed that,

"-If someone were  _stupid_  enough to leave a chocolate cake - sliced, out on the table, with forks, plates, and napkins, and  _without_  a note - it was absolutely, positively fair game for anyone walking by!"

"Do you think they know?" Allura asked Shiro then, keeping her voice low. "Do you think they know how close we came today?"

He looked back at her and nodded, just once. "Yeah," he said. "I think they do."

Allura saw that Shiro had a small smile on his face. It was both a sad expression, and a proud one.

"But," he said, "I don't think they're dwelling much on it. I think they're trying to - well, they're trying - to - to move past it."

They watched as Lance and Hunk and Pidge all agreed that if the person walking by the cake knew or  _suspected_  that the cake had been made for a birthday party, it would be  _sacrilege_  to consume a crumb before the candles had been blown out by the birthday person, and the cake served.

"Of course," Allura said to Shiro, "we're here for them if they ever need to - to talk about it."

Shiro looked at her and nodded. "I think they know that too," he said, agreeing with her.

She smiled at him, and he smiled back at her. Their hands fell away from each other as the Paladins turned towards them, asking for their opinions on the matter.

Just then, Coran returned, and dinner was brought in.

Despite her earlier threat, Pidge did not steal Keith's dessert.


End file.
